If We Knew Then What We Know Now

Today, as I write, it is Bob’s 68^th birthday.  I think he’s a bit surprised at the number.  He’s healthy, happy (I hope), and enjoying retirement. 

 It’s been just over 5 months since he retired and we have been having fun.  We promised ourselves we would spend the first year of retirement enjoying ourselves . . . translation, travel as much as we wanted and as long as the money held out.  So far, we have taken three major trips.  Our insight of course is we wish we knew then what we know now!

Our first trip was to Yosemite, or more specifically going down the OR coast, visiting the Redwoods, Napa Valley, San Francisco, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Mt. Shasta, Crater Lake NP, Bend, OR and then coming home. 

Oregon Coast

El Capitan, Yosemite

Crater Lake

  

We were gone 3 ½ weeks, drove 2976 miles, six nights camping, 8 hotel nights, 4 nights on a houseboat (actually a floating box), and one week at a timeshare.  Our insight for that trip . . . don’t try to mix tent camping with a big roadtrip!  We thought it would be good variety to spend a few nights camping but we ended up having to take all our camping gear plus all our regular vacation travel things – too much stuff. 

The trip was from mid-May to mid-June and we needed to plan for all kinds of weather.  It’s not unheard of to get lots of rain along the Pacific NW coastline or snow at Yosemite during late spring.  The car was overloaded and I felt claustrophobic while in the car. 

 

I was constantly trying to organize and sort things out.  The trip was a lot of work!  After all the camping was done we packed up some of the smaller stuff and mailed it home.  That helped with the clutter in the car but we were still just too busy and had way too much stuff!

During the month of July we traveled to Alaska.  We’d been before so this was kind of a hybrid trip, trying to see some of what we’d seen before and also some new territory.  We chose to fly from Seattle to Fairbanks, rent a car and drive south to Denali, Talkeetna, Wasilla, Mat-su Valley, Copper River area near Glenallen, Tok, over to Whitehorse, Yukon (Canada), and re-enter Alaska at Skagway. 

Chena Hot Springs, Alaska

Musk Ox

We dropped the car, hopped on the ferry and spent about twelve days off/on the ferry with at least a couple days visit in each of the towns Juneau, Sitka, Petersburg, and Ketchikan.  We then flew back to SEA from KTN. 

Petersburg Alaska

Whale Tail

The trip was 2109 air miles, 37 hours ferry travel, 1933 driving miles, 3 ½ weeks of being gone.  Exhausting!  Our insight was that we did not build in enough down time.  The distances were great and because there is so much daylight in Alaska in the summer we had some trouble sleeping.  I ended up buying a sleeping mask!  Lack of sleep aside, Alaska is an amazingly vast and beautiful place.  We felt as if we saw lots of country and then we’d look at the map and realize there was so much more to see.  There might be another trip in our future . . . and because we enjoyed the ferry so much we hope to do more.

Our last road trip was across 20 different states, 7648 driving miles, 20 nights staying with family or friends, 20 nights in motels, and we were gone 5 ½ weeks.  We called this trip the “family and friends” road trip.  We actually traveled pretty well despite being in the car a good deal of the time.  Call it America’s Heartland or the Mid-West, either way this land we live in is beautiful, diverse, and BIG.

Utah

Kansas

Lake Michigan

Wisconsin

Wyoming

But we had committed to a schedule and made obligations to be at specific family or friends on particular dates.  So we were always trying to get somewhere and didn’t give ourselves the time to enjoy some of the interesting places we saw.  We didn’t do a lot of “sightseeing” although we saw a lot of things.  Both of us commented that we wished we could just stop, relax, and enjoy an area for a couple days.  It was not to be on this trip so our insight was we needed a vacation within a vacation.  By the way, here’s something to ponder . . . when you are retired are you on vacation if you are off traveling or is it just what you happen to be doing?

There’s always room for improvement, lessons learned and hopefully we will work out some of the quirks of traveling better and smarter.  But we did do some things right, or at least things that helped us.

House - we cleaned house before we left on each of these trips.  Sure, we were gone long enough that we needed to do some housework and yard work when we got home but at least we came home to clean sheets, the ironing was done, the only laundry we had was what we took on the trip, the refrigerator was empty but clean, and the house was tidy and comfortable when we returned. I didn’t feel I needed to dust and vacuum for at least a few days!

Car – of course we made sure our vehicle was in good working order before we left on the road trips but we also kept up with the maintenance while we were traveling.  We got lucky when we were in MI because we were at Bob’s brother’s house when we realized we needed to have our tires rotated; he told us exactly where to go for reliable service.  Because our car is still under warranty we needed to have authorized service at both the 30,000 and again at 40,000 miles.  We were able to arrange for that service in Bend, OR on our first trip and again in Spokane, WA as we neared the end of our most recent road trip.  Both times worked out quite nicely because we don’t have a dealer in our hometown (Tri-Cities, WA) so having the service done before we got home saved us another trip.

Food – we are the family you see having a picnic at the rest areas.  Neither of us is very “big” on eating restaurant food very often and we don’t care for “fast food.”  So for at least one meal a day we picnic.  Yes, we could make better food choices for these picnics but at least we get out of the car, get some fresh air, usually read the informational boards at the rest area, and sometimes take a little nap.

Iowa rest stops were the nicest!

Information on Colorado

 

Picnic in Alaska

Often, we will take a little walk around the rest area.  It’s a nice break.  We stop at grocery stores and pick up fresh things.  We take advantage of having refrigerators in the motel rooms, or we bag ice to keep the cooler cold.  Usually our picnics are at lunchtime but sometimes we will eat breakfast or dinner out of our picnic stash.  We try to eat only one meal a day in a restaurant, and often try to rotate which meal it is.  Frequently we share a meal, especially if it is dinner.  I think it saves a little bit of money that we are not eating in restaurants all the time, and hopefully we are not overeating because we are in better control of our portions.

 

Reward points – we try to keep our costs down by being aware of and using our motel points and our airline miles if we are flying. Some motels allow you to use lower miles along with some cash to pay for rooms, which works well for us.  If we have to pay full price for a room we try to book at a chain motel where we are members of the rewards program so we can “up” our points balance to use on future stays.

Finances – naturally the bills come due regardless of whether we are home or not.  So one of the great conveniences of technology is the advent of online banking.  It’s so easy to check the bank balance, pay the bills, check the credit card statements, and monitor the investment accounts.  There are ATMs everywhere, and we use them to get cash or get cash as change at the grocery stores.  We don’t feel as if we need to be vulnerable carrying large sums of money with us because we can stay on top of what we are spending and it’s easy to get cash when we need it.  Now, all that being said we are going to take a trip this winter to Costa Rica and we know we are going to need cash to pay for transport, some of our lodging, and meals at neighborhood restaurants.  So we need to give all of that some thought!

Technology – in addition to online banking we appreciate many of the perks of technology.  We frequently text our family so they know where we are and where we are going.  We post pictures on Facebook so we can share the trip as we go along.  We travel with our iPhones, iPads, and laptop to keep connected.  We can set our phones as “personal hotspots” if we do not have Wi-Fi available.  We often look for motels as we are driving and near the end of our day.  Every few days we call home to check for messages on our landline.  The world is much smaller thanks to technology but it allows us to explore and keep involved with our life.

Budgeting – Bob’s a retired engineer and I’m a burned out accountant so we both like spreadsheets and numbers!  Twisted, I know.  But we did sort of plan out our trips and try to budget for them.  We set aside the money and hopefully it will all work out in the big picture of things.  Right now I’d say we didn’t budget enough but I also know that during this calendar year we have prepaid a good portion of our early 2016 trip to Costa Rica.  One thing we didn’t adequately project was the money we spent on the “little things” like entrance fees, a few souvenirs, gifts for our hosts, and my daily coffee fix.  I’m not saying those things are breaking the bank but they do add up.  We are telling each other that this year is a learning curve . . . with each trip we’ll get smarter and hopefully the money trail will reflect that.

To recap, after three large trips, we have traveled for 12 ½ weeks, 12,557 driving miles, 2109 air miles, 37 hours by ferry, spent six nights camping, 1 week in a timeshare, 4 nights in the floating box, 52 nights in a motel, and 20 nights with family and friends.  Combining all three trips we visited 23 states (WA, OR, CA, NV, ID, UT, CO, KS, MO, IL, KY, TN, OH, IN, MI, WI, MN, IA, NE, WY, SD, MT & AK) and the Yukon & BC, Canada.  All of it has been interesting, challenging, fun, and rewarding.  Yes, we wish we knew then what we know now but life is a big journey, and especially when traveling.  Our insight into retirement . . . can’t wait for the next adventure!  Thanks for coming along.

Sunset over Eastern WA

Wide Open Spaces and Memorable Places

Days 37 – 39, Colorado to HOME (in Washington)

After a couple days of family time in Colorado we both began feeling the call to go home.  Going north on I-25 we were soon in WY.  I had a good chuckle and fond memory as we crossed the state line.  My Dad was from WY and when we were kids he would roll down his window, no matter the weather, and tell us to breathe in “that good WY air.”  Of course my siblings and I would act like we were suffocating and choking on that WY air; the entire scenario would repeat itself when we left WY and returned to “that good CO air.”  I wish I could hear my Dad laugh again.

Welcome to WY

Cheyenne Capitol Building

Wide Open Spaces of WY

Old Schoolhouse on WY Prairie

Just north of Chugwater, WY we decided to pick up our original “family and friends” trip route and go over to the Black Hills of South Dakota.  My grandparents (mother’s side) lived in Spearfish and I had lots of fond memories of visiting the small town and picturesque area.  The drive through Spearfish Canyon was beautiful and we drove around and found my grandparents’ home and also the storefront where they operated a local sporting goods store.  I spent part of a summer working for them in the store and have lots of good memories of being with them and of Spearfish.  I told Bob that I always wanted to live there . . . but then I remembered how much snow the Black Hills get.

Welcome to SD!

Pano of the Black Hills outside Spearfish

Beautiful Spearfish Canyon

Grandparents' Storefront

Grandparents' Home

We headed west into northern WY but were quickly distracted by the opportunity to see Devils Tower.  Bob loves everything geological so it was a natural diversion . . . and for once we gave ourselves “permission” to leave the beaten path and explore!

Devil's Tower

Gillette, WY bills itself out as the “Energy Capital of the World.”  I think that may be a stretch but it is true that there is a lot of coal mined outside Gillette, and also a lot of oil and gas is processed.  My grandfather was a coal miner and I know it is very hard work. 

Coal Seams

Wyodak Coal Mine

For me, Gillette is just the town where my father grew up and my grandparents lived.  We visited often and my grandfather would take my siblings and myself to the Post Office (now a brew pub) where he would line us up on a bench and introduce us to all his friends.  The USPS was the central gathering “meet and greet” for the town.  Today, the town is quite congested and has grown so much I could hardly find my way around town.  We visited the cemetery to pay our respects and also found the house where my grandparents lived.  Sadly, the house is in a bad state of disrepair.  I left Gillette feeling there wasn’t much reason to ever return; I’ll live with my childhood memories.

US Post Office, now a brewpub

Grandparent's Home

Leaving Gillette, we traveled northwest along I-90 and soon spotted the peaks of the Big Horn Mountains.  Near Sheridan you can take off for the east entrances of Yellowstone and Teton National Parks.  This central part of WY is actually rather pretty with hay fields and the foothills.  Just north of Sheridan we crossed the state line into Montana.  There aren’t any major towns but historically this part of MT is significant because of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, commonly referred to as Custer’s Last Stand.  Today, the site is a National Cemetery but you can tour the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.

Big Horn Mountains of WY

Open Range

Near Hardin, MT ~ YIKES!

 

Billings is the largest metropolitan area in Montana.  It is located pretty much in the middle of the state, at the point where I-94E takes off from I-90E.  From the highway we see at least two large refineries and immediately recognize that Billings has experienced lots of growth over the years.  Founded as a railroad community, the town has become a major regional distribution center, and a retail and tourist destination for the greater area.

Refinery near Billings MT

Continuing west toward Bozeman the highway parallels the Yellowstone River.  US-89 intersects the freeway at Livingston, which is the point where you would turn south to reach Yellowstone NP from the north.  This 145-mile stretch to Bozeman is mostly ranch country with nice mountain and forest views in the distance.

Near Bozeman

I’ve always liked Bozeman; it is in a beautiful location with mountain ranges in every direction.  Bozeman is a typical college town, home to Montana State University, and a very vibrant major area for fly-fishing, hiking, kayaking, and everything outdoors.  It is a beautiful area; think of the movie A River Runs Through It.   

Continuing west on I-90, again through ranch country, you begin to gain elevation and are soon cresting 6329’ Homestake Pass and cross the Continental Divide.  The west side of the pass drops down into Butte, “where Copper is King.”  Known for its mining history, Butte is more than a mining town.  Tourism and services, especially healthcare, dominate the current economy.  However, the headframes still stand over the mining shafts, the copper pit is on the edge of town, and the large historic district is a reminder of days gone by.  Butte is home to Montana Tech University, originally founded as a mining school but now offering many degrees at the undergrad and graduate levels.  Butte’s mining history brought immigrant workers from all over the world and today it hosts the annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival, Evil Knievel Days, and the Montana Folk Festival.

As a side note, our dear friends, who we visited in greater Denver, are both from Butte.  They grew up only blocks from each other but did not meet until college at Montana Tech.  Their hometown pride is evident in all aspects of their lives and we are lucky to be their friends.

West of Butte a few miles is Anaconda, once the site of the smelter operations processing copper mined at the pits outside Butte.  Today, the 585’ smokestack still stands as a reminder of that history.

Anaconda Stack

Missoula, 120 miles west is situated at the convergence of five different mountain ranges and at the confluence of the Bitteroot and Blackfoot Rivers.  Again, it is beautifully scenic and a university town.  The town’s history is rooted in the railroad and the lumber industry but today tourism, forest management, regional services, and the University of Montana are the mainstays of the community.  It’s interesting to note that Missoula is west of the Rockies, and thus it experiences milder weather than most of the rest of the state.  After leaving Missoula, the highway largely parallels the Clark Fork River; Bob notes that we cross the river at least fourteen times!

  

 

Montana is known as “Big Sky Country” in part because generally the skies are usually clear and blue.  However, our 551-mile drive through MT along I-90 from WY to Idaho is mostly overcast which makes for two days of comfortable driving.  We cross into Idaho at the top of 4710’ Lookout Pass, with the distinction of Exit 0 on the MT side.  Lookout Pass is also a time zone border; we are back in Pacific Daylight Time!

  

Northern ID is commonly called the “panhandle” and is known for its silver mining history, beautiful lakes, and heavy forests.  Coming off the pass you enter the Silver Valley, specifically the town of Wallace.  Bob is very familiar with Wallace; it was his first job as a mining engineer just out of college (CO School of Mines) in 1969.  A couple years ago we spent a weekend in Wallace, revisiting his memories.  The town has a nice historic district and the Galena Mine is still operating. 

 

Wallace

Wallace

Bob returns to the Galena Mine

Kellogg, once home to the Bunker Hill and Sullivan Mines, began transitioning from a mining town to a resort town.  The mining activity came to an end in 1981, leaving thousands of people unemployed.  Now it is popular NW year-round resort with skiing, golf, condos, and shopping.

Located between Wallace and Kellogg is the Sunshine Mine, site of the worst hard-rock mining disasters in the US.  In May 1972, 91 miners were killed from carbon monoxide poisoning or smoke inhalation resulting from an underground fire.  There were 83 men rescued; two of whom were rescued a week after the disaster.  There is a monument to the lost miners along I-90, Exit 54, near the mine.  As a result of the disaster, all miners now carry MSHA self-rescuers, which filter out carbon monoxide.

Memorial to Sunshine Mine Disaster

Traveling west you come to Cataldo.  It’s best known for the Sacred Heart Church, aka Cataldo Mission.  Built by members of the Coeur d’Alene tribe, who requested the church send a missionary (Father Pierre-Jean DeSmet) to the area.  The church was constructed using the wattle and daub method, no nails!

Cataldo Mission

One more mountain pass, the 4^th of July Pass, and we are overlooking beautiful Lake Coeur d’Alene.  It is a large (25 miles long, and 1-3 miles wide) natural lake largely fed by the St. Joe River and also the Coeur d’Alene River.  The Lake is surrounded by national forest.  At the northern end of the Lake is the charming resort town of the same name; a thriving community and popular tourist destination.

 

The Idaho Panhandle is probably only about 55 miles wide between the borders of the state, so we are soon in WA.  We are home, or close enough to feel like we are home.  A couple hundred miles back we had reached over 40,000 miles on our car.  We do not have an authorized Volvo service provider in our town so Bob called ahead to the one in Spokane.  We were lucky to find the dealer had a late afternoon opening and we were able to get our car in for its scheduled maintenance.

We wandered around the very nice downtown area of Spokane for an hour or so, hung out in the beautiful lobby of the historic Davenport Hotel, and had an early dinner at the old SteamPlant brewery.  It was a nice break from driving and after picking up the car it was time to drive the last stretch!

Davenport Hotel Lobby

After driving through the forested spaces of Montana and Idaho, it was a stark contrast to leave the trees a few miles south of Spokane and begin crossing the wide-open spaces of Eastern WA wheat fields.  WA is the nation’s 4^th largest wheat producer with about 2.2 million acres being farmed.  Some of the wheat fields have already been harvested but others are tinged with the green sprouts of the new winter wheat crop.  Most of the WA wheat crop is exported, shipped from ports along the Columbia River.

 

Trees just south of Spokane

A few miles south and few trees!

Wheat fields of the Palouse

The start of sunset over the wheat fields of Eastern WA

 We are soon crossing the Columbia and home! We traveled 7648 miles, across 20 states (WA, OR, ID, UT, CO, KS, MO, IL, KY, TN, OH, IN, MI, WI, IA, NE, WY, SD, MT and ID), and were gone from August 25 – October 2.  Our insight into retirement for today . . . this has been an amazing road trip . . . safe, interesting, and blessed by visits with our family and friends.  Thanks for taking the journey with us!

August 25, 2015

October 2, 2015

The sun sets over our home!